Page 59 of Playing With The Mountain Man

“You’re … you’re … you’re bleeding,” he worried, his face going pale.

I lifted my finger to my head. “It’s nothing. I’ll be fine,” I promised him. “Can you please hold the bike so I can untangle my shoe?” I asked, well aware that I was lying in the street and it was only a matter of time before someone saw me and my humiliation got worse.

For a minute, it had been fun, but I wasn’t going to climb back on the bike anytime soon.

“Does it hurt?” River asked, pointing to my head.

“No. It just doesn’t look very pretty,” I assured him, hoping the painkillers kicked in soon.

“It looks bad ass!” River replied as he climbed onto the stool at the kitchen counter.

“River!” I scolded, turning to face him.

“What? It does.” He shrugged.

I didn’t have it in me to remind him to watch his words. Besides, he heard a lot worse from me yesterday, and being a hypocrite wasn’t high on my list of things to do today.

“What do you want for breakfast?” I asked, sipping on my coffee.

“Can I have waffles?” he asked, perking right up. How anyone could go from half asleep to practically vibrating in the space of thirty seconds was beyond me. I wished it were a skill I possessed, but these days it took at least an hour and three cups of coffee before I should even be allowed near other human beings.

I yanked open the freezer. “I don’t think we have any waffles,” I admitted, mentally adding them to the shopping list.

“Is Ryan making waffles this morning?” River asked hopefully.

I sighed deeply. “I’m sure he will if you ask nicely,” I conceded. I didn't like River eating every meal at the diner. I wanted to give him at least the illusion that I had my shit together, but right now, I didn’t have it in me to fake it.

“Awesome!” River exclaimed, punching his fist up in the air.

“But …” I started, and the excitement vanished. “You need to go get dressed, brush your hair, and clean your teeth before we head over.” I listed on my fingers.

“But, Mom,” River whined, and I hid my smirk behind my mug.

“Nope. That’s the deal. Now scoot, or I’ll add make your bed to the list.”

He vaulted off the chair with all the energy of a caffeinated squirrel. “I’m going!” he called out as he tore out of the room, grabbing hold of the door frame as he spun around the corner.

Amused, I set my mug down and started packing River’s backpack.

With the right incentives, a serving of Ryan’s waffles and a chocolate milkshake, it didn’t take long before I was shutting the door behind us and we were headed to the diner for breakfast.

I’d barely stepped foot through the door when Ryan spun around, spatula in hand, and called out, “Holy shit, Tillie. What the hell happened to your head?”

Self-consciously, I reached up and touched the lump. I may have smothered it in foundation, trying to hide the grazes and the cuts, but I couldn’t hide the giant egg.

“She fell off her bike,” River explained before he skirted around Ryan, heading straight for the counter.

I ducked my head. “I’m fine,” I mumbled as I pretended to check the contents of the fridge.

“Are you just saying that or have you seen a doctor?” Ryan pushed, not letting me get away with anything.

“I don’t need a doctor. It’s just a bump,” I replied snippily.

“Tillie, it’s more than a bump. You could have a concussion,” Ryan started.

“And you could be unemployed,” I snapped back. It wasn’t until the words were out of my mouth that I heard how bitchy they were. It wasn’t fair. Not to Ryan. He didn’t deserve that. “I’m sorry,” I apologized quickly.

He waved away my apology with a spatula. “It’s fine. You’re right. I should mind my own business.”